Inequality

European Anti-Poverty Network

The European Anti-Poverty Network is a network composed of European organizations fighting against economic injustice and poverty. The aim is to include the voices of people experiencing poverty in the European decision-making process.

About the project

Even though the combined economies of the European Union are among the largest in the world, almost a quarter of its inhabitants are at risk of poverty and social exclusion. Yet, the common social policy is underdeveloped and remains largely the responsibility of member states, resulting in unequal social protection throughout the Union. Additionally, discrimination and stigmatization within countries prevent marginalized groups from exercising their social rights and benefitting from the European wealth.
The European Anti-Poverty Network connects movements and organizations at different political levels in the EU. Together, they advocate for the eradication of poverty through a fair distribution of wealth and the access to a strong social safety net for everyone. To this end, the EAPN actively engages with EU officials and participates in the policy dialogue. The network is empowering people experiencing poverty by amplifying their voices and including their experiences in the decision-making processes.
Being aware that to achieve these goals inclusive structures are indispensable the EAPN is engaged in an internal reflection process. EAPN seeks to connect its policy work more closely with its grassroots base and strengthen the European Meetings of People experiencing Poverty through a review of the organization’s structures. It seeks to increase its impact and organizational development based on the findings.

Poverty highly impacts the lives of people experiencing it. It is for example associated with worse access to health care, puts an additional mental burden on individuals and often leads to discrimination and stigmatization which can be exacerbated by other intersectional factors such as race or gender. Therefore, reducing poverty is crucial to enable everyone to lead a self-determined live. Yet, social rights are underdeveloped, and wealth is unequally distributed within the European Union. The voices of people affected by poverty are often marginalized in policy processes. To more effectively advocate with and for people experiencing poverty the European Anti-Poverty Network seeks to review its internal processes towards more inclusivity.

The general aim of EAPN’s work is to eradicate poverty and social exclusion. Together, the network and its members advocate for social policies in the EU, provide information and policy recommendations to decision-makers on the national and European level, and work at reducing the causes of economic inequality by providing education and training. EAPN wants to improve its work by combining a long-term plan with a focus on intersectionality to make their research and political work stronger. The goal is to better connect social policies with other important issues like gender equality, children’s rights, climate, and anti-discrimination. Building on this research, EAPN wishes to influence the upcoming EU Social Rights plans and advocate for more ambitious targets to eradicate poverty. Embracing diverse experiences and accounting for intersectional, overlapping forms of discrimination is a guiding principle for EAPN’s work towards economic justice. To implement this, EAPN will change how it works internally and include a more diverse spectrum of vulnerable communities experiencing or at risk of poverty.

The EAPN and its members lobby with and for people and groups experiencing poverty and social exclusion. Setting a course of action with their general assembly and meeting regularly throughout the year, the organization writes policy papers, reports and provides input for decision-makers. They also monitor the implementation and effectiveness of the policies already in place. Examples of the EAPN’s work are its successful contributions to the EU Treaties, embedding articles on social rights, and the adoption and implementation of EU strategies and social targets. The network is actively searching for new ways to enhance the voices of people experiencing poverty. The work financed by the Robert Bosch Stiftung enables EAPN to conduct an internal strategic review to strengthen its structures and mission-oriented work. The review will involve both external and internal stakeholders, including delegations of people experiencing poverty. At the end of the process EAPN seeks to be strengthened both in its internal structures and as well as in its members’ skills to deliver key messages.